Car-door-operating mechanism.



P. 'DITOHFIELD.

GAR DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.13,1911.

1,041,045. Patented 0ct.15,1912.

a sums-sum 1.

V\7.T.T1 IE S SE 5 FRANK DI'IBHFIELIJ F. DITGHFIELD.

GAR DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 18. 1911.

1,041,045. Patented Oct. 15, 1912.

2 SHEETS-8HEBT 2.

'WITNEEEEE E333- INVENT EIIFL :E'HANKDITEHFIELID.

tion'to form a fiat bottom .UN1TED sragns PATENT oriuon.

FRANK DI'L'CHFIELD, 015

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK DITCI-IFIELD, of the city of Montreal, in the Province of Quebec and Dominion of Canada, have in vented certainnew and useful Improvements in Car-Door-Operating Mechanism. of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to that class of cars 'known as convertible dump cars, that is, a

car provided with elements capable of being arranged in one position to form a hopperbottom dumping car, and in anotherposi car of the gondola type.

The main object of the invention is to provide a car of simple, economical, and ellieient construction that can be used as an ordinary'flat-bot-tom car and loaded and unloaded in the usual manner; that can be quickly converted into a side dumping car,. and that can further be converted into a hopper-bottom car and unloaded automati cally along the central axis thereof, thus combining a structure capable of carrying several different classes of freight.

A further object is to provide a car that can be'loaded as a flat bottom car and unloaded either from the sides or from the hopper bottom, as is found most desirable, a result that, to my knowledge, has never been accomplished heretofore.

A still further object is to provide a car in which the elements comprising the floor may be converted into the hopper bottom,

thus eliminating the permanent or stationary hopper device heretofore used. This feature of construction I believe to be new in cars of this type. l I

Another object is to provide a simple and eflicient mechanism having great strength and durability for arranging and holding the elements of: the'car in any desired relation. V

The invention consists essentially in a car having its sides hinged at the top and capable of being swung either outwardly or inwardly, as desired. The floor comprises longitudinal plates adapted, when overlapped and locked in position, to form a flat or plain floor surface. These plates are hinged in such a manner that when the central overlapping portions are lowered, the floor is converted into a hopper under the car and capable of being separated at any angle todischarge the contents centrally be- Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed March 13, 1911. Serial No.-813,969.

MONTREAL, comma, census. cAR-noonmmnmnve MECHANISM.

Patentedflct. Lassie.

my invention. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. Sis a transverse section on the line 6 7 of Fig; 1. Fig. 41 is a detail view of the floor door lock mechanism shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is'u, similar view of the side lock mechanism.

Referring to the parts, 8 designates the side sills and 9 the center sill of a car, which are connected by end sills l0, and support pillars '11 which carry on their upper extremities-a rail, 12. which forms the upper edge of the car body.

In the dumping portion of the car, the floor is formed of a pair of longitudinal jamb plates 13 located on either sides of the longitudinal axis of the car and preferably equidistant therefrom, and overlapping doors 14, 15 and 16 hinged at 17 which, when in a horizontal position, occupy the space between the jalnb plates 13. as shown in dotted lines'in Fig. 3. It will be seen in this figure that the 'doors are hinged inside the side plates of the center sill. The doors 16 outside the hinges 17' are separated from the main doors 1 and 15 though mounted on the same hinges 17. This division of the floor is necessary in order that when the.

doors 14 and 15 are lowered, the portions 16 outside the hinges will not rise and leave a space between themselves and the side doors oriamb plates on which they rest, through which a portion of the contents of the car would fall. The doors are preferably of unequal Width in order that when they are The underframe of the carlowered to form a hopper under the can-as shown in full lines in Figs. 1 and 3, the in nor edges 18 of one door will extend beyond the inner edge 19 of the other door, in order that the extending portion of the door may be directly engaged by the operating mechanism withoutithe use of any intermediary parts. I

The sides of the car adjacent the door doors are formed of doors 2O hinged at their upper edges 21 to the rails The upper edges of the doors 20 are curved outwardly upturned flange at so as to slidehnder the rails 12 and allow the doors to be swunginwardly. The, lower edges of said doorsare provided with les 23 arranged so as to form recessesin hichthe outer edges 24 of the floor doors i5 engage. l fhen in'their vertical position, the lower edges of the side doors will form tight joint with the jamb plates 13. The side doors may also be swung outwardly in order to discharge the contents ofgt-he car at thev sides thereof." The overlapping portions of the lioordoors will be'arranged so that when the doors are in} their horizontal overlapping position, the floor formed thereby will present a plain, unobstructed upper surface. f'lhis' speoiallcons'truction of the floor doors isof great importance since it not only allows the doors to form the level fioor abo've referred to'but also allows the doors to be lowered to form the hopper bottom and raised. to form the flatfioor, with a minimum of friction and resistance. construction, furthermore provides for an opening of increased size when the hopper is dumped. This particular construction is chiefly einbodied in the door 1 which is preferably formed twoplates 25 and F26, united longitudinally of the can The plate extends from the hinges approximately to the center of the door and is then turned downwardly to form a flange of approXi mately the same depth as the thickness of the door 15. The other plate 26 is curved, shown in Fig. -3, 'zi-nd provided with an which is riveted to the urge theplate 25,'tlu1s forriiing the door "-2 with an offset portion forthe reception of .ihe door '15. A plurality of suitable stif ening members 2-7 are secured to the under of the door 1.4 to follow the contour of th plates. Thedcor leis formed from one or more plates and presents a plain upper 28 attached to the "under side thereof. le Ellis also attachedmnder the free edge 19 of the door 15 and ca" es between he thereof a plurality of rollers 30 adapted. to travel. on the curved plate :26 of tile door 1 v.

lit willbe no'ticedrin l 1 that; by reason, the curvature of the plate 26, the angle at the intersection of'the door i considerably greater than a right angle so that wile-nan upward motion is imparted to the door the rollers 30 of the door 15 will starteas-s and roll up over the'pl-a Qthtl being such that the lC(. is'l into the same plane withth of the door 14. In this-mannerthe more lent of the door 15 is controlled directly oythedoor 14 Without the use ofv an mechanism to lifter start lly brought V is". door 15 thus sh-mwlifyi mg the device a'nfdrreducing the possihility of derangernent tlo in'inirnurm The edge .18 of the door 14 1s stlflened by a pair The ace, the plates being stilfened by men ie V curvati. e, s

A int .cinecliate issue-is I angles 81 placed flange to flange, the principal purpose of these angles, however be ,ing to provide attachments for the-chain anchors These anchors are of any jsuitable design as best shown in Fig. 4,1 and" serveto distribute the pull of the (shame-3.3

otg er a considerable area, so as to preclude any possibility of bending 01' tearing-the plate 26. The chains 33 are attached at one end to the anchors 32, as before stated, and at the other end to a shaft 34 lying longitudinally under the car floor.

Asmany sets of doors as desir ed are arranged in the car and between each set of doors isfa strong transom, 35,,extending between the Webs of the center sill: These transoms are continuedbeyond the center sills by plates 36 which extend to the vside sills and to the lower ends of the pillars 11. The shaft may be integral throughout the whole length of the car, or may be divided at the'cent-er of the car so as to allow each end of the car to be operated separately. This shaft is of the creeping type, that is, it is mounted in curved slots 37 in the transoins and creeps or travels in the slots when the chains 33 are tightened or loosenedl In this instance when the doors l-fl and 15- are to be raised from the hopper to the flat floor arrangement shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, the shaft il lis revolved to wind up the chains 33 and raise the doors, the shaft meanwhile remaining at the outer or lo ver ends of the slots. l l hen the doors are raised, further revolutionof the shaft causes it to be drawnQup in the slots toward the longitudinal center ofthe car, so; that it finally slips under the ears 38 of the anchor. The weight of the doors and loading in the car is thus thrown directly on the shaft and not through the rnediunr offli d chains, so that there is no. tendency to revolution which would allowlhe shaft to creep and relasethe doors. r I 3 By reversing the revolution of the shaft, the doors nay be lowered to fern; the hop per bottom, and the doors 14: still further lowered to dump the hcpper as shown in dotted lines in 3. l his ,method of dumping may alsobc employed for the flat floor arrangeinent. Stops 39am provided on the tra soms to support thedoors l5 and prover the samefrorn falling against the shaft' l and bending it. Any suitable pawl-and ratchet device 40 is provided at the end ofthe shaft 34 to lock the same again-st revolution or'travel inythe slots 37 when desired, A socketg llgof suitablev design is also provided in which .alever may be inserted 41%]: revolving the; shaft The operating mechanism of the side" doors is comparatively,simple and consists. essentially of, a shaft 4-2 i. disposed I longitudinally} of the car at {each side, ;thereof,

said shafts being .journaled in brackets 43 portion of the first door and supporting the second door on the first door at an angle greater thant90 anchors on the first door, a shaft, and chains fixed to said anchors and Wound on the shaft to raise the first door whereby the second door is raised to occupy the recess and form a flat floor;

9. In a convertible car, the combination with a supportingframework, of floor doorshinged adjacent the sides of the car, one of said doors having a recess for the reception of the other door, chain anchors fixed to said recessed door, ears on said anchors pro- 1,041. ,oes

jecting beyond the edge of the door, a creeping shaft, chains Wound on said shaft and. attached to the anchors-to raise the doors to horizontal positionand draw the shaft under the ears of said anchors to lock the doors in horizontal position, and means for holding the .shaft under the anchor ears.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses. FRANK DITCHFIELD. Witnesses STUART R W. ALLEN, E. R. MCKENZIE. 

